Parade

Ask Marilyn: Why Was the New Pope So Widely Covered in the Media?

Lily Orange of Murrieta, California, writes:

Marilyn: In recent weeks, there has been much U.S. news coverage of circumstances surrounding the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. The sudden and unexpected resignation of one Pope, the election of his successor, and the installation of the new Pope were all covered extensively. Only about one-fourth of Americans are Roman Catholic, and many Christians do not recognize the Pope as their leader. We hear and read news about the Catholic Church quite often (including, for example, the child-abuse scandals), but we don't often get news about other religious denominations. What is your opinion of the widespread news coverage of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church, subjects that do not affect the vast majority of Americans? Marilyn responds:

Have a look at the front-page stories of your local newspaper or the headlines on your favorite online news content provider. How many of the stories affect you personally? I'll bet the answer is "almost none" or even "none of them." That's normal! Just wait until William and Kate's baby is born. We will be swamped by a tsunami of news coverage from England. I, for one, will be listening to music while I'm on the elliptical trainer at the gym instead of watching the news on television. I'll need the escape!